How to stay motivated and stop putting things off

Are you continually being distracted from the task at hand? Do you fail to accomplish the things that you want to do? Ask yourself what it is that you are focusing on instead. What is your true goal?

What we focus on tends to get done. It is important to know what you want, why you want it and to make sure that, every day, your actions and behaviours take you closer to your true goal. If your objectives are aligned with what matters to you most, you are more likely to follow through.

Do something every day to make sure that you move towards your goals. The trick is to keep your motivation up and not run out of steam before completing your goal. Think of a time when you did complete something that you wanted to achieve. What was it that kept you motivated that time? If you’ve been motivated to stick with something before, you can do it again.

Here are some tips that you might find useful to help motivate you to finish a project or task that you keep putting off.

Know your ‘why’

Ditch the ‘should’ and ‘need’. We tend to use these types of words when talking about something we feel others want us to do, rather than what we want to do for ourselves. Instead of saying, ‘I really should do…’ or ‘I need to do…’, ask yourself why you want to do it, why it matters and what success will look like.

Self-belief

Belief is what keeps you going when others knock you back. It helps you keep going when you are tired, overcome unexpected obstacles and see challenges as surmountable rather than a reason to quit.

Energise yourself

If it’s a boring task, it can be difficult to get started. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to the expectation of pleasurable experiences. When your brain thinks about a boring task, there may be little motivation present. However, doing something enjoyable before or during the task, such as listening to music, exercising or watching an inspirational video, can help you feel more energised.

Taking your work to your favourite café, meeting up with people you like or ordering your favourite drink may all help you to feel more motivated, upbeat and ready to tackle the task.

Get real

Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. If you know where your weakest spots are, you can plan for them before you get started. If this means delegating some parts of the task to someone else, so be it. If it gets you nearer to your goal, it might be worth paying someone else to do something that would take you far longer to complete.

Just start

Research into procrastination has identified a practical way to help overcome the tendency to put things off. One useful technique is called “the five-minute take-off”. It consists simply of starting to do the thing you have been putting off, no matter how little you feel like doing it.

Procrastinators often believe that, to do something, they have to want to do it. They may feel they need to be in the right mood or feel inspired first. This is not the case. Usually, to get the job done, it is enough to begin. The initial action kick-starts the process and often brings about more action.

Imagine the end

Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about beginning with the end in mind. He calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading yourself towards your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities, you can build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.

Define your mission and goals for life, and work towards them on a daily basis.

Gain clarity

Sometimes we don’t know where to start with a task. If this is the case, just start anywhere. Starting with something you like first may help you to tackle the rest of the task.

Beat overwhelm

If you feel overwhelmed by a task, break it down into small, bite-sized chunks - the smaller the better. Doing something towards your task is better than not doing anything at all.

If you put as much energy into doing what you want to do as you put into avoiding it, you may be surprised by how much progress you can make.